Chapter 620: Miasma Origin Pill

The manager said in a low voice, "Xu Wenlin, watch your tongue. Before this matter is clarified, please refrain from jumping to conclusions. This isn’t the first day Xiuyi Pavilion has been in business. In all these years, have we ever sold a fake Pill? If you continue to spout such nonsense, don’t blame me for being discourteous."

A Martial King’s aura emanated from the manager as he said coldly, "Xiuyi Pavilion is not a place to be bullied and extorted at will."

Xu Wenlin’s face turned ashen as he roared in fury, "Jiang Huarong, what are you trying to say? Do you think I’d use my own brother’s life to extort your Xiuyi Pavilion? My brother died suddenly right after taking a Pill from you! You know perfectly well whether you’ve been selling fake Pills."

Jiang Huarong said coldly, "Don’t get so agitated. I was just raising one possibility, just as what you’ve said is also merely a possibility. Xiuyi Pavilion will investigate this thoroughly. If it is indeed our fault, we will certainly not shirk our responsibility. We will provide compensation where it is due."

"Compensation?" Xu Wenlin sneered. "My brother died after taking a Pill from your Xiuyi Pavilion, and you think ’compensation’ will just fix everything? Besides, my brother’s life was priceless. Can you even afford to pay for it?"

"Then what do you want?"

"Haha! I want to tear down your Xiuyi Pavilion, of course. This fraudulent pill shop won’t be allowed to harm any more Martial Artists. That is what I, Xu Wenlin, will do. As for compensation, I couldn’t care less."

Xu Wenlin snarled, his face a mask of rage.

Knowing the situation was tense, Jiang Huarong said in a cold voice, "Right now, this is just your side of the story. It’s far too early to be making such claims before an investigation has been conducted."

"Hmph. Then I’ll be watching to see how you ’investigate’ this,"

Xu Wenlin said coldly, leading his men to block the entrance to Xiuyi Pavilion’s main hall. Behind him, every member of the Celestial Wolf Squad was filled with righteous indignation, their gazes seething with hatred.

The surrounding customers began to murmur amongst themselves. Everyone in the city’s West District knew that Xiuyi Pavilion had been in business for many years. While they didn’t offer a wide variety of Pills, their reputation was solid. They didn’t seem like the type to sell fakes.

However, the raw anger and hatred on the faces of Xu Wenlin and the other members of the Celestial Wolf Squad didn’t seem fake, which piqued everyone’s curiosity.

Jiang Huarong’s expression turned grim. Selling a fake Pill that led to someone’s death was an extremely serious accusation. If it were proven true, Xiuyi Pavilion could forget about ever doing business in Celestial Capital Prefecture again.

"What about the Pills you bought from our Xiuyi Pavilion? Let’s see them. Don’t tell me you only bought a single one," Jiang Huarong said, a headache building. He had no choice but to take this one step at a time.

"Hmph. I knew you’d say that." Xu Wenlin gave a cold smile and produced a jade box.

The box was engraved with the Xiuyi Pavilion logo; it was their standard packaging. He opened it to reveal eleven Pills still inside.

"These are the Miasma Origin Pills we bought from your Xiuyi Pavilion. The Celestial Wolf Squad discovered a valley, but it was filled with a disorienting miasma, so we bought these Pills to explore it. Who would have thought that as soon as one of my men took your Miasma Origin Pill, he would drop dead from poison?"

"The Miasma Origin Pills come in a set of twelve. The remaining eleven are all here. What do you have to say for yourselves now?"

Jiang Huarong frowned, glanced at the serial number on the jade box, and said to another manager, "Go check our sales records. And have Master Changyuan come here to verify this."

The Miasma Origin Pill was a Pill for neutralizing miasmic poisons, though it also had some effect on other types of toxins.

It was a niche Pill, however, so sales volumes were low, making the records easy to check.

In the crowd, Su Xiuyi had been about to step forward, but he stopped himself.

’Even though I’m the owner of Xiuyi Pavilion, I rarely get involved in its day-to-day business. I probably know less about this situation than Jiang Huarong. Stepping forward now wouldn’t help much. It’s better to watch from the sidelines and see how Huarong handles this.’

Meanwhile, Ye Xuan and his companions were also watching from the crowd.

Soon, the manager Jiang Huarong had dispatched returned to the main hall with a ledger. A quick search confirmed it: the Miasma Origin Pills had indeed been sold by Xiuyi Pavilion half a month ago.

Shortly after, an elderly man in an Alchemist’s robes entered the hall. The managers and staff of Xiuyi Pavilion all treated him with great respect.

Ye Xuan sized him up. ’This man has a potent, focused aura. He’s a Tier Seven First Layer Martial King. The scent of Spirit Medicine on him is quite strong, but he hasn’t reached Seventh Grade yet. He must be a Peak of Sixth Grade Alchemist.’

"Master Changyuan." Jiang Huarong immediately stepped forward and explained the situation, concluding with, "All of the Miasma Origin Pills in Xiuyi Pavilion are refined by you. Please, Master Changyuan, examine these Pills."

Master Changyuan nodded, took one of the Pills from the box, and swept it with his Profound Sense. His brow furrowed instantly. "This is not a Pill I refined," he stated flatly.

"What?"

Everyone was stunned.

Xu Wenlin’s face was already grim, but upon hearing this, he erupted. "Are you kidding me? These Miasma Origin Pills were bought from your Xiuyi Pavilion! They have serial numbers, and you have the sales record! How could they possibly not have been made by you? Are you trying to deny responsibility?"

Jiang Huarong’s face was solemn. Ignoring Xu Wenlin, he asked in a low voice, "Master Changyuan, are you certain?"

Master Changyuan nodded. "I am absolutely certain. Every Alchemist leaves a unique aura on the Pills they refine. While this Miasma Origin Pill looks identical to the ones Xiuyi Pavilion sells, its aura is clearly not mine. Therefore, I did not refine it."

Ye Xuan and Elder Yao both nodded. Master Changyuan was right. Every Alchemist possessed a unique aura. While it might be difficult to identify another Alchemist’s work, it was incredibly easy to tell if a Pill was one’s own.

"Fine! I knew Xiuyi Pavilion wouldn’t admit it!" Xu Wenlin roared. "If that’s how you want to play it, don’t blame us for what comes next! You’ll pay for my brother’s life with your own!"

The anger Xu Wenlin had been barely containing finally exploded. He unleashed the full force of his cultivation—Tier Seven Third Layer—and with a thunderous BOOM, numerous counters in the hall were blasted to pieces.

"Give us back our brother’s life!"

The squad members behind him roared in fury, drawing their weapons with ferocious expressions. A terrifying aura, thick with killing intent, instantly swept through the hall.

The surrounding crowd, startled, scrambled to back away. Yet their eyes were filled with excitement. It looked like a huge fight was about to break out.

The Celestial Wolf Squad was well-known in the West District. Their leader, Xu Wenlin, was a Tier Seven Third Layer Martial King—an extraordinary level of power that made him a local powerhouse.

Some of the Martial Artists who had previously bought Pills from Xiuyi Pavilion now began to worry. ’If their Pills really are a problem, are the ones I bought still safe to take?’

"Xu Wenlin, what do you think you’re doing?"

Jiang Huarong shouted with a cold snort, his face filled with anger, but a trace of anxiety flickered deep in his eyes.

The Celestial Wolf Squad was formidably strong. The most powerful person currently in Xiuyi Pavilion was himself, a Tier Seven Second Layer Martial King. He was no match for Xu Wenlin.

"What am I doing? Your Xiuyi Pavilion sold a fake Pill that killed a brother of my Celestial Wolf Squad, and you have the gall to deny it! Today, you will pay that blood debt in blood! Brothers, let’s go! Wreck this place!"

Done with words, Xu Wenlin thrust a palm strike toward the interior of Xiuyi Pavilion.

"Damn it!"

Just as a nervous Jiang Huarong was about to rush forward to intercept the attack, something happened—

VMMMM!

A terrifying pressure descended. Simultaneously, a figure materialized in front of Xu Wenlin. With a simple lift of his hand, he completely neutralized Xu Wenlin’s palm strike, leaving no trace of it.

"Sir, if you have something to say, we can talk it out. Do you intend to demolish my Xiuyi Pavilion by resorting to violence?" Su Xiuyi said coldly.

"Pavilion Master, you’re back!"

The anxious and nervous Jiang Huarong and his men stared blankly for a moment, then their faces lit up with delighted surprise.

"You’re... Su Xiuyi!"

A flicker of panic flashed through Xu Wenlin’s eyes, as if he hadn’t expected Su Xiuyi to appear. But just as quickly, the panic vanished, leaving no trace.

"Hmph. Good, the man in charge has finally shown himself," Xu Wenlin said, stoking his anger. "Su Xiuyi, I hear you’re the Pavilion Master. Celestial Capital Prefecture is no place for you to throw your weight around and bully others."

"It’s Su Xiuyi."

"The Pavilion Master of Xiuyi Pavilion."

An uproar broke out among the onlookers. Su Xiuyi had arrived in the West District of Celestial Capital Prefecture twenty years ago and established Xiuyi Pavilion. Coupled with his cultivation as a Tier Eight First Layer Martial Emperor, he had a certain reputation in this part of the city and was considered a local overlord.

However, Su Xiuyi had always kept a low profile and rarely appeared in public, so not many people recognized him. Otherwise, he would have been spotted in the crowd much earlier.

"My Xiuyi Pavilion is throwing its weight around?" Su Xiuyi said coldly. "From where I’m standing, it looks like your Celestial Wolf Squad is the one starting a fight in my establishment. If I hadn’t appeared, were you not about to tear this place down?"

An inexplicable chill ran down Xu Wenlin’s spine, but he said coldly, "Sir, you need to see this clearly. It was your Xiuyi Pavilion that sold a fake Pill and killed my brother! Are we not allowed to seek justice? Su Xiuyi, I know you’re a Tier Eight Martial Emperor with profound cultivation, but Celestial Capital Prefecture is a place of reason, not a place where might makes right! If you have the guts, go ahead and kill us all. But with so many witnesses here, I refuse to believe you can murder everyone and silence the world."

Xu Wenlin spoke proudly, showing no fear of Su Xiuyi.

At that moment, Jiang Huarong hurried forward. "Pavilion Master, it’s like this..."

"There’s no need." Su Xiuyi waved his hand, his gaze icy. "I saw the entire thing."